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Local Spain
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Spain
Brits in Spain face appointment nightmare for residency card renewals
On July 6th 2020, the Spanish government started to issue a special Withdrawal Agreement (WA) residency document to Britons who were residing in Spain. In fact, this TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero or Foreigner Identity Card) is pretty much the same as that given to other non-EU nationals, but it refers to the Withdrawal Agreement the UK reached with the EU. Before July 6th 2020, UK nationals registering as residents received the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión, more commonly known as the green residency document that EU nationals living in Spain get. Therefore, the issuing of the Brexit TIE was symbolic for Brits in Spain in that it highlighted their new status as non-EU nationals. The residency document also became more important than ever in terms of proving the residency rights of Brits legally residing in Spain before January 1st 2021, be it for travel in and out of the country, work matters etc. July 2025 now marks five years since the Brexit TIE came to be, and with it many of those with a temporary TIE are up for renewal - more specially those who got their card in July 2020 or soon after. To clarify, UK nationals who hadn't yet completed five years of residency in Spain when they applied for the TIE were issued the TIE temporal. The card is valid for five years, after which you can get a permanent residency card which has to be renewed every ten years instead. According to data from Spain's Immigration Observatory, 5,560 Brits carried out the process in July 2020, 3,871 of whom exchanged their green certificate for a TIE and 1,689 who didn't have a Spanish residency document before. This figure then rose to 9,217 in August 2020, 12,072 in September, 14,492 in October, 17,647 in November and peaked in December with 22,171 TIE applications, which means there will be thousands of Brits in Spain needing to renew their TIEs in the coming months. The main problem they face is getting appointments for this, the dreaded cita previa. Manual widget for ML (class="ml-manual-widget-container") That's largely because the online appointment system of many of Spain's extranjería foreign offices and police stations has been hijacked by criminal groups that use bots to book all or most available spaces seconds after they're made available. These gangs then sell the appointments to desperate foreigners for up to €90 when they should be completely free. Gestoría agencies and law firms in Spain that handle foreigners' residency applications are often complicit in this racket, as they always seem to be able to get appointments as well. Spanish police have arrested numerous groups who've specialised in carrying out this illicit practice in several regions of Spain, but it just keeps happening. The cita previa scam doesn't affect all Spanish provinces equally as the problem seems to be particularly bad in areas with a large foreign population (including Britons) such as Alicante, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca or Barcelona. In these provinces, even if appointments aren't being booked out by bots, the high number of foreigners and few time slots available is also working against applicants. "Has anyone managed to renew their TIE which was given under the Withdraw Agreement? I'm finding it IMPOSSIBLE to get a 'cita previa' in the whole Barcelona province and starting to worry about time running out on me," one Briton wrote on a Facebook forum. Another user wrote: "Just managed to get two appointments in Alicante. We have been trying every couple of hours for a few days now with digital certificates. Keep trying and good luck!" "I've been trying online for weeks in Valencia using a digital certificate but also without success. 'No hay citas disponibles' Not sure where to turn next," said another UK national hoping to renew their TIE. "Most of my family has already renewed under the Brexit Agreement, I will for the rest of us in the autumn. In Extremadura," one more person wrote, confirming that regions with low foreign populations such as Extremadura aren't facing the same appointment backlog. The Local contacted the British Embassy in Spain for comment, who said: 'We are aware that some UK Nationals in certain areas of the country have had difficulties making an appointment and we have asked the Spanish Government to make more appointments available'. "We have seen this issue ease in certain places as a result. We've also been advising UK nationals to check for an appointment at various points of the day and consider looking at other offices in their province (ie. not necessarily their nearest one)." "The residence document that identifies you as a beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement must be renewed 30 days before the document expires, or within 90 days of its expiry date," states the Spanish government's FAQ about Brexit and the current situation of UK nationals and their families living in Spain. Fortunately, Britons and their family members who need to get a new TIE card will not lose their residency rights if they are unable to get an appointment within three months of their card expiring. But that's not to say that having an expired residency card won't cause issues for them in the long run, from travel to official matters. Some Brits on forums have said that those who are attempting to renew prior to their card expiring are being told to wait until it's actually expired, but that this depends on the rules of each provincial extranjería office or police station. In all, some 403,925 UK nationals were officially registered as residing in Spain in 2024. 'Estimates suggest that some 50,000 British citizens resident in Spain have not yet applied for their TIE,' Spain's Interior Ministry stated recently, but these are Brits who are still holding onto the EU green residency certificates, under the EU's new Entry Exit System.
Local Spain
25-06-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
REVEALED: How many people have Spain's Digital Nomad Visa?
Spain launched its first Digital Nomad Visa or DNV at the beginning of 2023 and since then it's proved to be a very popular way for non-EU nationals to be able to live in Spain and work remotely. The visa enables you to work remotely for a company back home or be self-employed working for clients abroad. The key rule is that no more than 20 percent of your income can be earned within Spain and you have to earn above a certain threshold in order to support yourself while living here. So how many people have taken advantage of what is the easiest way for Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians and other third-country nationals to work and live in Spain? According to data published by Spain's Immigration Observatory, Spanish authorities granted a total of 27,875 digital nomad visas up until the end of 2024. These figures also account for family members of the primary DNV holder who also hold the visa, with the spread being 14,255 for the title holders and 13,620 for spouses, children and parents in their care. At the end of 2023, the number of digital nomad visas issued was only 9,568, which means that in just one year the total number of digital nomads in Spain almost tripled. Looking more closely at the data, we can see that the last quarter of 2024 was when the highest number of DNVs were issued: 5,619 in total. Six out ten of DNV holders are from non-EU/EFTA European countries, 16,846 to be precise. It's likely that a large proportion of these are from the United Kingdom, given how popular Spain is among Britons and that since Brexit it is not easy for them to move to Spain on a whim. The next biggest DNV group includes those from Central and South America, representing 17 percent of the total or 4,669 digital nomad visas. The vast majority of Latin Americans have the advantage of being able to apply for Spanish nationality after two years of residency in Spain. They are followed by digital nomad visa holders from North America (12 percent). We have reported recently on how the number of US nationals has grown exponentially in the last few years, and the DNV is once again the best work option for many of them. Next up are Asian DNV holders with 1,833 permits. According to online forums, the visa is proving very popular with those from the Philippines, most likely because Filipinos can also get Spanish citizenship after only living here for two years. Lastly are African digital nomads with 951 DNVs and those from Oceanian countries such as Australia and New Zealand, who make up only 251. Overall, there are slightly more men than women with the Spanish DNV, 52 percent compared to 48 percent. However, when looking at the distribution of male to female DNV title holders (the main applicant carrying out the remote work), men make up 32 percent of the total while women make up 17 percent. The primary age groups for DNV title holders are the 25 to 34 tranche and the 35 to 44 tranche, but there are people in their 50s and their 60s who are also working on Spain's DNV. Interestingly, there are more than 5,400 minors aged 15 and under with the right to live in Spain because one of their parents is a DNV title holder. If you want to join these people and move to Spain as a digital nomad, there are several strict requirements you'll have to meet. One of the most important is that you'll have to be making €2,762 per month – more if you want to bring family members. You'll also have to have been working for your company or clients for at least three months before applying and have permission from them to work in Spain. If you want to find out more about how to apply and what you need then you can read our handy guides.
Local Spain
03-06-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Spain grants citizenship via residency to 220,000+ foreigners in one year
Spain granted nationality through residency to a total of 221,805 foreigners in 2024. This new figure is 8.9 percent lower than the 243,481 granted in 2023, the highest figure in the entire historical series since 2009. But 2024's annual total is still the third highest over the past 15 years. The data provided by Spain's Immigration Observatory confirms an upward trend of the number of people successfully applying for Spanish nationality. Much of this is down to automation - in other words using bots - when reviewing applications, an effective way to alleviate the backlog and streamline the citizenship paperwork. The highest number of Spanish nationalities granted since records began was in 2013 when Spain gave total of 261,295 people citizenship. The majority of people granted citizenship are of Ibero-American origin with Venezuelans taking the top spot with 33,021 citizenships granted. This is followed by Moroccans with 29,033. In third place are Colombians with 27,946 citizenships granted, then Hondurans with 13,915, Peruvians with 10,799, Ecuadorians with 9,925 and Argentinians with 9,165. The average age of foreign nationals who obtained nationality based on residency in 2024 was 34, and 57 percent were women. Almost 70 percent of those with successful applications were between the ages of 18 and 49. The vast majority of people – a total of 61 percent have been granted nationality after two years of legal residence in Spain, as is the case with those from Latin American countries. These citizens of Ibero-American countries also have the option of keeping their original passports as dual nationality is allowed for them. In addition to acquisition through residency, Spanish nationality can also be acquired by origin and by naturalisation. Twenty-four percent acquired citizenship after just one year because they were born in Spain (32,572), married a Spaniard (20,185), or they are the children or grandchildren of a person with Spanish nationality (637). A total of 13 percent achieved it after ten years of legal residency in Spain – 99 percent of them Moroccans, while only 17 people were granted residency through asylum, which requires a period of five years. To be granted Spanish nationality through residency, applicants need to have good civic conduct, a sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society, and have resided in Spain legally and continuously for a period of time immediately prior to the application. For those born in Spain and for those who have married a Spaniard it's one year; for those with previous nationality from an Ibero-American country Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, and Sephardic Jews it's two years; for those those who have obtained refugee status it's 5 years; and for the rest it's 10 years. It's worth noting that Spain also rejected a record number of citizenship applications in 2024, a total of 20,099. This is more than double the number of rejections that were issued in 2023, which was a total of 7,399 people. Experts believe this could be down to the fact that more applications which were stuck in limbo are now being processed, the number of applicants keep increasing and technological advancements means the process is now quicker, so more people can be rejected quicker too if they don't meet the requirements. Another reason is that Spain extended the deadline to apply for citizenship through the Grandchildren's Law (Ley de Nietos in Spanish) until the end of 2025, which was initially scheduled to be October 2024.
Local Spain
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
UK Embassy insists Brits in Spain get TIEs or risk being 'treated as overstayers'
The British Embassy in Madrid on Tuesday wrote yet another on Facebook post telling Brits who reside in Spain to exchange their pre-Brexit green EU residency certificates for Tarjetas de Identidad de Extranjero (Foreign Identity Cards), better known as TIEs. "Only those with a biometric TIE are exempt from the EES when entering Spain," wrote the Embassy. "If you only have the green certificate, it will not be accepted as proof of residency for EES purposes." Since July 2020, British residents in Spain have been told that their EU green certificates would still be valid and that the exchange was not compulsory, but Spanish and British authorities have been increasingly encouraging them to get the biometric TIE card, identical to that issued to other third-country nationals living in Spain but with the words " Acuerdo de Retirada" (Withdrawal Agreement). This is now the third post about exchanging residency cards that the British Embassy has posted since March 21st 2025, suggesting that they are really trying to drill the issue home. While in past years they've sang the praises of the TIE for being a biometric document that's more durable than the paper-based green certificates as well as including a photo, more recently they have been warning that the old green certificate will not be recognised by the EU's new Entry Exit System (EES). According to the British Embassy in Madrid, "To be exempt from registering with the EES, British residents in the EU will need to show a valid uniform-format biometric card". For British nationals who are legally resident in Spain, this means that only a TIE will be accepted by Spanish and EU authorities when travelling. If you only have the green certificate, it will not be accepted as proof of residency for EES purposes. Now, the embassy is saying that 'You could be treated as a tourist at the border, subject to full EES checks and potentially accused of overstaying in the Schengen Zone'. This means that if you go on holiday to another EU country, boarder guards at the airport could potentially think that you're not a Spanish or EU resident, that you've overstayed your allotted time within the Schengen Zone (the 90-day rule) and you could face problems with entering or re-entering. The EU's much-delayed EES system of biometric passport checks could begin in October this year, after an agreement was reached in March between member states. According to the latest data from Spain's Immigration Observatory, 403,925 UK nationals were officially registered as living in Spain as of June 2024, but only 217,408 of those had TIEs. This suggests that there could still be tens of thousands of UK nationals who still haven't carried out the exchange, and the ongoing Facebook messages by the UK Embassy suggest that is indeed the case. The response from the British community in Spain to this latest message has been varied, from complaints that there aren't any appointments available to exchange their residency cards to others saying their fellow countrymen have had plenty of time already to make the swap. One person wrote: 'My partner has been trying to get an appointment in Valencia to change his green credit card size certificate for a TIE since last September'. Another wrote: 'I hope the Consul is going to ask the Spanish authorities to make more appointments available. Many existing TIEs will be approaching renewal and appointments are already scarce'. Getting an online appointment for administrative processes is already a big issue in Spain, with bots run by criminal groups booking up all the available appointments and charging people for them, when in fact these citas previas should be completely free. Other Brits advise just hiring a gestor to do the exchange for you, but again that's an extra expense for a process that shouldn't cost anything at all. Some readers have been pointing out that the Withdrawal Agreement stated that the green residency certificates would be recognised as proof of residency for Brits and that they shouldn't have to exchange them.
Local Spain
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
How many Brits are living illegally in Spain?
There is no official data on the number of British people living in Spain without legal residency. This makes sense as after all, they're 'under the radar', invisible in the eyes of authorities. Having never registered as residents nor paid taxes in Spain, there is no real way of finding this out. Could they be in their thousands? Tens of thousands even? We simply don't know. However, if we look at 2020-2024 data from Spain's Immigration Observatory, 59,951 UK nationals who applied for a Withdrawal Agreement TIE (the residency card for third-country nationals) did so without having had the previous EU green residency certificate to exchange it for. Even in June 2024, years after the deadline, 45 Brits with no previous residency papers applied for WA Spanish residency for the first time. By comparison, 168,036 UK nationals who applied for a TIE did already have the green residency documents that they were required to have if they resided in Spain, paid taxes here, worked here etc. Therefore, more than one in three Brits who applied for a TIE were not officially registered as residents before Brexit 'forced' them to. This gives us an idea of how common it was for UK nationals to never register before being left with little choice. It does of course not tell us exactly how many Brits have chosen to continue living in Spain 'under the radar', despite the risk of overstaying as an unregistered non-EU national, but it does indicate that there are probably more than we would expect. With 403,925 UK nationals officially registered as living in Spain in 2024, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to estimate that the number of Brits living here illegally is more in the tens of thousands than in the thousands. In fact, many registered Britons in Spain mention on online forums and Facebook groups that they know of fellow countrymen who never registered and have lived off the grid on the costas or in villages for years, even decades. There's little sympathy for them from those who have done everything above board, with a general desire for them to 'get caught', judging by online comments. Whereas suggesting that those who aren't registered have wanted 'to have their cake and eat it' does ring true in many cases, there are clearly some who have fallen between the cracks, be it due to old age, isolation, fear. This was brought to light by a recent study carried out by the Murcian public prosecutor in which it analysed the "vulnerability of elderly and disabled foreigners in the region" who live on the coast and on golf estates in the southeastern region. "As they are not currently European citizens, they do not have a health card and must pay for the social and health benefits that are presented to them. "In these cases we find ourselves not only with the problem of the language barrier, but also with the reluctance of authorities to intervene". Although their unregistered status isn't directly mentioned, the fact that they don't have access to public healthcare or other forms of care in Spain certainly suggests that this is the case. This not only brings to light the question of how unregistered Brits manage to get by without having access to healthcare (presumably through private means), but also how they can open a bank account, rent a property and, of course, if they ever fly back to the UK or travel outside of Spain without the worry of passport stamps or lack of residency documents lifting the lid on their status. Back in 2020, the then-Conservative UK government awarded funds to three charities - IOM Spain, Babelia and Age in Spain - to help them offer legal help and Spanish residency assistance to Brits struggling with the Spanish language, those in remote areas, and the elderly and those with disabilities. The UK Embassy in Spain has made numerous callouts on social media and through other means to get as many Brits in Spain as possible to apply for a TIE residency card. But just as 200,000+ green certificate holders (2023 figures) have refused to budge and do the swap-over, it's highly likely that many of the under-the-radar Brits will also be sticking to their guns.
